Conor Hourihane is set to make his 100th appearance for Aston Villa tomorrow afternoon when they take on local rivals Birmingham City. Having joined the club from Barnsley in January 2017, he has been an important player in Villa's quest to return to the Premier League.
Hourihane is equally comfortable in a deep-lying or more advanced midfield role, and has formed an excellent partnership with Glenn Whelan and Jack Grealish in recent times. His set-pieces are also pin point accurate, and he is prone to bagging a screamer or two.
To mark the upcoming milestone, the club released a video with all of his 19 goals and 14 assists for Villa, and it makes for some incredible viewing. Sit back and enjoy this one:
Talk about a wand of a left foot! Hourihane is always a goal threat, possessing the ability to step up and bang one in from anywhere. His playmaking isn't half bad either, while his delivery from dead ball situations is about as good as you are likely to see.
The Cork man will be hoping to add to his six Ireland caps during the upcoming Euro 2020 Qualifying campaign, and he will be a valuable option for Mick McCarthy to have in the squad.
He certainly does not lack the self belief to make an impact at international level, as demonstrated in a recent interview with the Birmingham Mail:
You have to take the ups and downs and try to stay in the middle because it can change for you quickly. You have to show character and mental strength.
I’ve had a half-decent career, played a lot of games consistently over the past few years so I must be doing something right. I always think when I’m going through a tough patch, just work even harder, never doubt yourself, keep self-belief as high as possible and you’ll come through the good patches and the bad patches.
